Six workers feared dead after Baltimore bridge collapsed

In the late hours of the night, a communication was transmitted over the radio by a dispatcher. They said a big ship lost its ability to steer and was going toward the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

In about 90 seconds, the police officers said they stopped traffic on the Baltimore bridge in both directions. Someone said they were going to drive onto the bridge to warn the construction workers.

However, it was already too late. The ship, unable to move and carrying large containers, crashed into a support pillar.

“The entire bridge collapsed,” an anxious officer said. “Get going, anyone and everyone. ” The entire bridge fell down.

The big ship Dali hit the pillar at around 1:30 in the morning. On Tuesday, a long part of the bridge, which is a very important road, fell into the Patapsco River. The bridge being gone is going to cause a lot of traffic and problems for the shipping port.

At least eight people went in the water. Two people were saved, but the other six are missing and believed to be dead. They were part of a construction team working on fixing potholes on the bridge. They are searching for their bodies on Wednesday morning, said Maryland State Police spokesperson Elena Russo.

Some people from Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico were missing, as reported by diplomats from these countries. The man from Honduras was named Maynor Yassir Suazo Sandova.

Federal and state authorities said they think the crash was an accident. The National Transportation Safety Board is looking into the situation, and ships going in and out of the Port of Baltimore are stopped for an unknown amount of time.

Captain Michael Burns Jr. simplify it to just “Michael Burns Jr. ” The Maritime Center for Responsible Energy said that it is very difficult to bring a ship into or out of ports in restricted waters with limited space to move around.

He said that losing power in a small area of water is really scary. When a ship can’t move or steer, it is controlled by the wind and water.

Video showed the ship moving as the governor of Maryland said it would. Wes Moore was walking at about 9 miles per hour (15 kilometers per hour) towards the 1. 6 mile (26 kilometer) Cars were still driving on the bridge, and some just barely made it in time. The crash broke the bridge and it fell into the water quickly. There were sharp pieces sticking up from the water.

The police said they didn’t find any proof that anyone other than the workers went into the water, but they’re still considering the possibility.

A high-ranking manager at the company where the workers were hired, Brawner Builders, said they were working on the bridge when it collapsed.

Jeffrey Pritzker, the company’s executive vice president, said that this was totally unexpected. We are at a loss for words. We are very proud of our safety measures. We use cones, signs, lights, barriers, and flaggers to keep everyone safe.

Jesus Campos works for Brawner Builders and knows the crew. He said they were taking a break and some were sitting in their trucks.

Campos said, “I remember being there a month ago and I know how it feels when the trailers go by. ” “Imagine knowing that something is dropping down. ” It’s very difficult. I don’t know what to do.

Father Ako Walker, a Catholic priest, said he spent time with the families of the missing workers while they waited for news about their loved ones during a vigil at Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Walker said, “You can see the hurt on their faces. ”

The rescuers saved two people from the water. One person went to the hospital and left a few hours later after getting treatment.

The crash happened before the busy morning traffic on the bridge. 12 million vehicles used the bridge last year.

Between 1960 and 2015, 35 big bridges fell down because ships or barges crashed into them, according to the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure.

The collapse on Tuesday will cause a lot of problems for shipping along the East Coast for a long time. The Port of Baltimore, which is a main hub, will have to shut down.

Paul Wiedefeld, the person in charge of transportation, said boats can’t come in or out of the port for now. But trucks can still go into the facility.

The whole area, and even the East Coast, will be really hurt if we lose this bridge, says Sen. Johnny Ray Salling said. Johnny Ray Salling spoke.

Pete Buttigieg, who is in charge of transportation, said it’s too early to know when the channel will be cleared. The channel is about 50 feet deep. President Joe Biden said he will go to Baltimore soon and he thinks the government will pay for the whole cost of fixing it.

Synergy Marine Group, who takes care of the ship, said the crash occurred while it was being guided by local experts called pilots. Pilots help ships navigate safely in and out of ports. Synergy said on Wednesday that one crew member got hurt and had to go to the hospital for a small injury.

Grace Ocean Private Ltd. owns the ship, and a big shipping company called Maersk has rented it.

The ship called Dali, which was 985 feet long (300 meters), was going from Baltimore to Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was flying a flag from Singapore. This information comes from Marine Traffic.

The ship was checked by officials from other countries in June and September 2023, and it passed both inspections. In June 2023, a broken gauge for fuel pressure on a ship was fixed before it left the port in Singapore.